kiwibird: A day in Stockholm

This will be a strange blog to write because I have muddled the photos up, accidently of course. The dodgy internet connection was so slow to begin with, due to so many people using it, that the photos would not upload onto Blogspot.

It has been a cold grey day, with a bitter wind blowing across the water. A very interesting day though. Stockholm is a beautiful city, full of character and fascinating buildings. Most of the buildings in Copenhagen were plainer and simpler in design, and mostly painted white, and of course very clean. But in Stockholm there is colour, grandeur and a rich history of lucrative trade. A seafaring city.

Although the Lonely Planet stated that Stockholm was a good city to cycle in, it did not appear to be bicycle friendly as there were very few cycle lanes and much traffic. There were also very few cyclists too, and no wonder.

People were not dressed as stylishly as in Copenhagen, but were still friendly and helpful, although a little more reserved. Most of the Swedish people are not blue eyed and blondhaired either. Really, where did I get that sterotypical image from. In fact they are mostly dark haired, and the older people we met at camp sites along the way were quite rugged and tanned.

The other misconception was the cost, not expensive as we were led to believe but quite reasonable really. The fact that the £ was quite strong against the Skr may have helped us. The shopping yesterday at the supermarket was quite reasonable, and plenty to choose from in the way of milk, meat, cheese and vegetables. Certainly much better than in Germany. This morning we bought a three day travel card which cost about £11, senior rates. We bought tickets to take a 1 1/2 hour return ferry trip to an island on Thursday for about £7 each (senior). I noticed that children and students under 19 were free to enter museums. Children were free on public transport as long as they were with a paying adult passenger. However if you stay in a hotel, and drink alcohol, and eat expensive food, then Stockholm would be very expensive. I will be the first to admit that seniors are subsidised greatly here, which helps us considerably.

The train trip in on the metro was quick and before we knew it we were standing on a shopping street. A look in the shop windows showed very reasonably priced items for sale, but I was not tempted, not after the spending spree in the Netherlands. Walter bought a really nice leather belt though. His turn now.

This photo is for Isabel who loves browsing in the small Tiger shop in Bromley. Isabel, you would love this Tiger shop. So much to choose from and inexpensive too.

Lunch in a cafe on a square in the old town of Gamla Stan. We usually avoid restaurants in touristy squares, due to the high prices and often poor quality food. But this one was a pleasant surprise. I noticed that there were many local office workers eating there so that was a good recommendation. The Lonely Planet guide suggested eating a main meal in the middle of the day, as it was cheaper. Restaurants, even the more expensive ones, usually have special lunch meals which are very reasonably priced. A tradition, apparently. Once the government sponsored the meals for the city workers. But no more.

We chose a plum stuffed braised pork fillet served with a gorgonzola cheese sauce. It came with roast parsnips, potatoes and carrots. As well as this there was chilled sparkling or plain water to chose from and a salad bar. It was all delicious. And cost only about £7. What great value.

The Lutheran church on Gamla Stan. Very dramatic. There was a very large stautue of St George and the Dragon in the church. Apparently the dragon was killing the people in the town and St George killed the dragon, on the promise that the people converted to Christianity. Now I must look this up on Wikipedia, because I am quite ignorant of the fable, as far as Sweden was concerned. I always thought it was an English fable. Ignorant or not?

The imposing palace, with guard in front. The royal family actually live here. We were going to visit the state rooms today, but unfortunately they were closed. Something else on that was more important. The king of Sweden is King Carl 16th Gustaf. At least we are learning about the royal families in Scandinavia.

We were able to visit the chapel and an entrance hall though. Impressive.

We have now jumped, well not literally, we did cross a few bridges, from Gamla Stan to the next smaller island. Looking back across to Gamla Stan.

We took advantage of being on this little island, to visit the Moderna Museet. The museum of modern art. The largest in Europe apparently. According to the brochure anyway. But we enjoyed visiting the museum, although some of the art was a little too abstract or minimalist for us to understanding or appreciate.

Dali's William Tell painting. Instead of an apple, William's son is holding a piece of meat. There is one cheek of William's bottom stretched out. Fascinating painting, but very weird.

The sheep sculpture with tyre around its middle.

The cannon spray painting.

My attempt at modern art. A photograph of my legs and blue shoes reflected in the glass. The tree, and street below,was the view I was looking at, but I seemed to have merged into the tree.

We loved the greyhounds, or somethong similar, being taken out for a walk. They appeared to be all slightly neurotic.

Now back to the Gamla Stan and the imposing entrance to the island city. The building is actually the parliament buildings.

Morning coffee to warm up. Morning coffee is a ritual in Stockholm, usually accompanied by a small cake. But we avoided the cake. Too many calories.

Gamla Stan, according to the Lonely Planet guide, is 'a concoction of storybook buildings, imposing palaces and razor-thin cobblestone streets'. And this about sums up the island. We loved wandering the streets.